Why? because it’s there is the obvious answer. Maybe obvious isn’t the right word: if it were obvious, everyone would surf – and then surfing might be terrible. The solitude is a part of the experience, even in a crowded lineup. After the takeoff, you are the only one experiencing that singular wave: a confluence of colliding factors creating a perfect moment.

Bode and Utah deserve better than this. More importantly, the epic cheese created by the late-great Swayze should be left to stand the test of time without a new generation’s take on the same tired tropes. Twenty odd years later and a major motion picture studio is still nowhere nearer  to capture the culture of action sports athletes and enthusiasts with anything close to accuracy or realism. That’s okay though. In fact, that’s just fine.

Expedition One pro Ryan Gallant had been keeping to himself for the last little bit. Just when we thought he might slake off into obscurity, he emerged to drop one of the gnarliest tricks down San Francisco’s Clipper ledge to date. This is bonkers and the cover photo, for TransWorld SKATEboarding, stands as their best photo of 2014.

The borderline between pioneers and mad men is thinner than a razor’s edge and more porous than Swiss cheese. Were they driven to greatness out of genius? Or, did they stumble upon moments of truth while groping blindly in the dark? Either way, looks like these folks had a hell of a lot of fun,

Listen to mama, ladies. Surfers are a red flag! ;)

Rick and Buddy know how to present skateboarding beautiful and true. The folks that did this piece on them... a little less so.

That one time, a bunch of old men made a skate video. Sequel coming soon?

Technical wizards, heavy metal enthusiasts, and buddies with beards: Andrew Cannon and Chris Haslam mess around with their version of a skateboarding doubles routine, here.

The phrase, “Quit your day job” gets tossed around a ton by outdoor and action enthusiasts. But what about for those folks whose day job is being a professional in said activities? This short video explores that notion; when a pro surfer quits the contest circuit, but still gets to surf for a living. Must be nice.

When graffiti goes right.